The present invention relates generally to motor home construction for use with conventional vans and, more particularly, to extending the width of a van body to increase the interior volume.
Standard size van bodies are commonly used for forming motor homes. It is desirable, however, to increase the volume of space within a standard van body to increase the feature content of the motor home. To increase in the interior volume of a van, typically the roof is removed and replaced with a roof cap that increases the interior head room within the vehicle.
Another manner in which the interior volume of a vehicle body may be increased is by lengthening. A vehicle body may be lengthened in two manners. The first manner is by adding a body extension onto the back of the vehicle. Several feet may be added in this manner. By lengthening the body in this manner, the powertrain does not require modification.
Another manner in which the body may be lengthened is to add a length of a vehicle body in the center portion of the vehicle. That is, adding a center portion between the front and rear wheels in a similar manner to that performed for many limousines. In such a manner, the drive shaft of the vehicle must be lengthened.
Another manner in which to increase the interior volume of a vehicle is to widen the vehicle. One manner in which to widen a vehicle is to longitudinally cut the vehicle in two through the entire vehicle body. By increasing the vehicle width in such a manner, many structural changes as well as changes to the powertrain must be made to to make the vehicle functional. The front portion of the vehicle requires numerous modifications. For example, the windshield, the method for mounting the engine, the dashboard and drive line must all be modified. Performing such changes increases costs of manufacturing such a vehicle.
It is, however, desirable to increase the interior space of an automotive vehicle by increasing at least a portion of the width of the automotive vehicle.